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Wednesday, June 11, 2014

ULFBERHT and the Valkyrie

I have no idea what I will name this.....!!!!!

Valkyrie

“The people have
forgotten us,” demanded Ares as he walked to the back of the garden and rested
his hands on a small pillar.

“The people have no need for us. They
have not forgotten us, they have shrines with our likeness centered in their
gardens. Our people believe us to be dead and gone because they are defeated,”
insisted Phobos. “Yet, there are mortals who still believe in Gods. They are panicking
because they feel some great war is about to begin. I have summoned you here because
their panic gives life to me and it makes me wonder, father. We can be great
again. We can silence the other Gods by taking their believers. We need only
one follower who can perform magical works by way of us, and bring back the
Greek Gods.”

“We are dead, Phobos, are we not?”

“We are not dead, we have simply
been forgotten and left for dead for centuries. What if we can make new
followers and bring people back to us, would it not be worth more than anything
we have seen? I feel alive again, and I feel the need to thrive.”

Ares looked down at his dark
trousers and picked up a small bug. “I know exactly what to do.”

Scandinavia

“Wake
up, my child. You are needed for the great Ragnarok, go now.” Hertha grabbed
her torch and flung it around. “Who’s there? Come out!”

“Go back to sleep, you sackless gurl.
The men will be needing that torch soon. You better figure out how you plan to
replace it before they figure out it is missing. We have a few more hours
before the sky brightens up,” snapped Erica as she pulled the thick elk’s skin,
over her shoulders.

“Nei, someone called out to me. The
voice said I was needed for the Ragnarok.”

“The Ragnarok, and a twig of a girl,
like yourself,” snorted Erica. “You are hearing things. What can a skinny twig
of a gurl like yourself, do in the great battle? You my dear, are letting all
of the elders get to you with their Odin talk.”

“We all have a place in saving our
people’s future. My slenderness makes me quicker than most. What about our ma’s
vision? She said we were destined to be special. Do you not recall it? Besides,
I know what I heard. I heard it in my own ears. I could even feel his cold
breath on my neck,” whispered Hertha as she ran her fingers across the side of
neck.

“Go back to sleep, Hertha.”

Hertha shook her head and put on a
long dress with a thick brown cloak. “I know what I heard, and it pisses me off
that you do not believe me. I’m not going to bed, I’m going for a walk.”

As the sun came up in the morning
sky Hertha was able to take in an unbridled look at the land. The snow was
ankle deep and the branches were covered with a heavy sheet of icy snow. The
white blanket was so heavy that it bent the branches of the trees, causing them
to brush against the ground. While the branches were cracking loudly underneath
the heavy snow, animals were trying to escape with their very lives.

“Go
to the river,” whispered a voice from the wind.

Hertha
turned around and looked for the owner of the voice. “Who’s there? Say it
again.”

“Go
to the river, and stick your hand in the icy waters until your fingers start to
burn,” demanded the voice.

“Why
should I? Why would I do such a stupid thing? You wish to mangle my hand,”
snorted Hertha.

The
wind blew violently forcing Hertha’s braid to unravel and fall below her
shoulders like a river of gold. Hertha held her cloak tighter against her body
and held her head down. “Who are you?”

“I
am your protector, your leader,” whispered the wind.

“Are
you Thor? Are you sending me into battle, Mighty Thor?”

The
voice was quiet for a few seconds. “Just go, Hertha. We are depending on you.”

Hertha
moved faster through the thick snow until she came upon the river. “Nei, it’s
frozen. I can’t do anything. It’s hard as a rock.”

A
large boulder started to roll from the mountain beside the river. Hertha ran
behind a large tree as the rock hit the icy river just adjacent to her body.
“Go now, swim to the bottom of the rock and there you will find it.”

“Find
what?”

“Go!”

Hertha
placed her cloak on the ground and mumbled a silent prayer. “Gods save me now.”
She rushed down into the icy river. As she was swimming downward the waters
started to harden. “I’m going to die.” She pushed forward until she made it to
the rock. By the time she made it, the water was quickly turning back to ice.
Near the ground she saw something shiny shimmering. With her strength fading,
she swam deeper until she was on top of the long shiny metal. “It’s a sword.” She
grabbed the sword and began her journey to the top of the river. With each
movement she could feel her life slipping away. The sword was cutting away at
the ice until finally she was near the top. Her body floated to the bank and
her eyes closed.

“Now that you have found my gift, we
must talk.” The tall man bent down and brushed his long dark cloak against
Hertha’s face. “Hertha, hear me now. Listen not with your trained eyes, but
with your heart. You are needed for a great cause. The Ragnarok will soon be
upon us, and only the best of feigra manna, will make it to great Valhalla. I
need a guardian like yourself. I will give you the gift of life and you will
vow to serve us always.”

“Anything you say, Great Thor,”
whispered Hertha weakly.

Ares
held his cloak together and smiled. “You have been chosen to die a great death
for your people, but you will be reborn. You will no longer be just Hertha. You
are now be Hertha the Great Valkyrie and this sword will be your protector, it
is called ULFBERHT.”

A wave of confusion washed across Hertha’s face as she
slowly placed her hand around the sword's uniquely shaped hilt. The sword was
longer than her arm with oddly shaped letters running down the fuller. With
shaking arms, Hertha tried to hold the sword upwards in the air, but the blade
was too heavy to maintain.

Ares took hold of the
sword, and smiled. "Be patient, we are not finished yet.” Ares grabbed
Hertha by the face and looked into her eyes. Before her head hit the ground, he
was off once again.

The snow started
falling once again, covering both Hertha and the sword. The coldest prompted
Hertha to open her eyes once again. “Thor, give me strength,” demanded Hertha.
She grabbed the sword and thrust it into the cold frozen ground. “Nei, I can do
this.” She pulled herself up by pressing her weight on top of the hilt. After
she made it to her feet she looked around. Her eyes were now focused. She no
longer had problems with seeing objects far away from her. She grabbed the
sword and flung it in the air. “By the Gods, I am great.”

Erica reached for the
wooden slab of the door as Hertha was nearing the entrance. “Are you mad, gurl?
I was about to send the men for you. If you don’t want to be treated like a
barn, you need to act your age.”

“I’m going to fight in
the next battle,” insisted Hertha as she pulled her wet clothes off and placed
them in a corner.

“Not this again—we have
talked about this. You are not fighting. You are not a warrior. You need to gain
the attention of one of the Lord’s sons. He has plenty and you can gain honor.”

Hertha looked at Erica
sternly. “The Lord’s sons are all sackless.”

“You can be beaten for
that,” grunted an older man holding a stein in his hand.

Hertha laughed and
stepped into a pair of trousers.

“What are you doing,
gurl?” Erica grabbed a dress and pressed it against Hertha’s chest. “Are you
looking for a fight?”

Hertha pushed the dress
back in Erica’s arms. “You wear it. I will not wear another dress. Why must I
feel a draft drifting up my arse every moment of the day? I can’t fight with a
dress. They have on trousers and thick cloaks. They have warm boots. I want
warm boots too.”

Erica smiled nervously
as the men started to gather around. “For the love of Odin. Just go before you
can’t go.”

With a big grin
springing across Hertha’s face, she reached for the door. Before she could open
it, a large arm landed on her shoulder. “Let me go.”

“Take off those trousers,”
hissed a tall man with his hair hanging below his chin.

“Let go of me.” As the
words came tumbling out of Hertha’s mouth, the man struck her across the cheek.
Hertha reached up and grabbed the man’s beard. She continued to pull him closer
until he grabbed her by the shoulder. She placed one leg firmly behind her and
grabbed him once again with both hands on his chin. “I said let me go.”

"You're dead wench,"coughed the warrior as he grabbed a nearby chair.

It was too late. Hertha took the sword and shoved it into the warrior's ribs. Blood poured over the sacred letters and the room went quiet.